Forget all the ornate stuff, it's impractical and gets tarnished so easily....For years I have used a granite mortar, they are heavy: so difficult to knock over, durable: they can take a high temperature, lots of Sang and charcoal burning and you can still lift and move it, cool to the touch. You can pick one up for about £10.

I got mine years ago in a shop, on sale as the pestle was missing! It looks the same as the day I bought it.

Yes, items like these can be over priced, I stocked up on these kind of things a few years a go in India. So much cheaper, even for good quality items.

People, in my experience, can get really hung up on having everything just right, but when it comes down to it, it's your motivation and effort that makes the difference. I remember Mingyur Rinpoche gave a Vajrapani Wang in his room at Sherab Ling a few years back, and he used digestive biscuits instead of Tormas.

Stewart wrote:Yes, items like these can be over priced, I stocked up on these kind of things a few years a go in India. So much cheaper, even for good quality items.

People, in my experience, can get really hung up on having everything just right, but when it comes down to it, it's your motivation and effort that makes the difference. I remember Mingyur Rinpoche gave a Vajrapani Wang in his room at Sherab Ling a few years back, and he used digestive biscuits instead of Tormas.

Here's my improvised Serkyem. Sorry about the size. Wonder if there's a way to upload as a clickable thumbnail image:

When I lived at Samye Ling I used to attend to Sherab Palden Beru, the master artist (who incidentaly is 103 this year), everyday I would do his offerings on his shrine bowls, Serkyem etc, it was thick with black tea residue and the 5 grains were set into the tea! many years of offerings there!